On the morning of June 1, a ministerial meeting on law and order was held at the Seoul Government Compound in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The ministers were there to discuss measures on so-called "random crime."
At the same time, in front of the main gate of the compound, one woman held a sign and staged a one-person protest. Her sign read, "Forced Hospitalization Is the Answer to Misogynic Crime? A Country That Hates Minorities."

The woman, who was there this day to protest the police and government response after the murder in a unisex bathroom near Gangnam Station in Seoul, was Yang Ji-won (31, office worker), who had also proposed a candlelight vigil in front of Gangnam Station exit 10.

In an interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on June 2, Yang said, "The latest incident occurred because of misogyny prevalent in our society, but some media and the police turned it into a crime by a mentally ill patient. I wanted to point out that they only spread the prejudice and aversion to mentally ill people rather than solve the problem. It (the government's response) is obviously abusing human rights."

Earlier, on May 23, the National Police Agency had announced that the police would actively take advantage of a policy, which allows the police to hospitalize a mentally ill patient without consent when they discover people whom they believe needs to urgently be isolated or treated, as their measure to prevent random crimes. The candlelight vigil began on May 18, the day after the murder, when Yang held a sign reading, "Come and Gather" in front of exit 10.

Yang said, "He (the killer) killed a woman he had no acquaintance with just because she was alone in that place. I suggested the candlelight vigil because I believed that if we let misogyny run loose, not only me, but numerous women would be the target of the rage."

Citizens marched the busy streets of Gangnam in the moonlight late into the night in addition to the candlelight vigil claiming that we should stand up to misogyny and launched a campaign taking pictures to show their participation. This in turn triggered social interest on the issue of misogyny.

At the center of this movement was a Facebook page titled, "Gangnam Station Exit 10," which has over five thousand followers.

Yi Ji-won (24, college student, photo), who runs the page, is an acquaintance of Yang. Yi plans to organize the "First Joint Action of Everyone Against Misogyny" in front of Hongik University Station at 3 p.m. on June 6.

Her slogan is, "Let's Overthrow This Misogynic World!" and participants will have an opportunity to speak on an open stage and then march down the streets.

In a phone conversation, Yi explained why she came to organize the event, "In the past, there were conferences and filibusters organized by women's groups and citizens also acted individually against misogyny, but there was a movement calling to gather all the voices of the groups and individuals together."
She said, "The citizens that posted notes at Gangnam Station see this crime as a misogynic crime, even if the police deny it. The joint action will provide an opportunity to create a network against misogyny."

The two Ji-wons met in a group studying feminism last summer. We asked what their vision of society was. Yi said, "Today on Facebook, I saw a post stating, 'A society where everyone is equal is the safest society.’ I dream of a society that does not discriminate against or despise the disabled, sexual minorities and women and that does not force a certain frame on these people."